Young bloggers should think before posting.

I always get such a thrill over people making assumptions about a life that is unfamiliar to them, especially when they attempt to write it as nonfiction when we all know for a goddamn fact that it's without a doubt a mediocre fiction piece at best. The piece I'm referring to today happens to come from a naive boy named Dalton Heinrich. I found it extremely hard to take this blog serious due to the lack of credibility on his part. Who is Dalton Heinrich? What has he done? What does he do now? Inquiring minds would like to know. If you're going to make accusations, or just randomly gossip about people in general, make sure you let us in on some facts or at least have something to back up your claims.

The piece I'm referring to comes from a blog posted earlier this month on www.gayguys.com (how fitting). Heinrich discusses his "social note taking," and the observations he's made when it comes to gay men. Hmmm....well, with all this note taking, you'd think he'd be able to give us at least one quote or blurb from some of these gay men he has taken "notes" on. Yet he has nothing to back up his claims. The following is an exert from Heinrich's blog,

"The gay community is great at a lot of things. We are experts at fashion, we are brilliant at design, we are flawless in social networking, and we are professionals when it comes to throwing a party. As a community we thrive under pressure. As a whole we have beaten the odds with almost everything thrown our way. But one thing I have realized in my social note taking is that we are absolutely horrible when it comes to growing up."

We are all these things according to whom? These are all common generalizations about the gay community. Why is he stereotyping the community, when many of us, myself being one, have tried to overcome the stereotypes placed on the gay community. Since neither one of us is an expert on this, but pointing fingers and assuming seems to be ok with Heinrich, let me go ahead and put in my two-cents and decipher his opening statement.

"We are experts at fashion..." GAY! "We are brilliant at design..." MORE GAY! "We are flawless in social networking..." MOST GAY! (And this next one takes the cake) "We are professionals when it comes to throwing a party..." translates to - Although gay men cannot hold a job, nor a relationship, and seem to prey on younger men, they can at least have a good time doing it all. SHUT THE FUCK UP! Who the fuck is this stupid kid?

http://www.gayguys.com/2014/08/gay-men-curse-peter-pan-syndrome

This link above will take you to the blog that I'm sure will have many distinguished gay gentlemen laughing, and any other gay man older than the author, thinking this kid has a lot to experience and learn about life. I particularly like how he diagnoses the men he's observed with Peter Pan Syndrome (PPS), an actual disorder for men, much like that of The Wendy Dilemma which parallels the way women treat men. If he knew exactly what PPS was, he'd know that there's much more rooted into a man diagnosed with PPS, than just "going clubbing," and looking for young gay men to make "a new addition to their dating pool."

I suggest you discuss PPS with a professional, perhaps Beaumont Psychological Services, P.C. Nowhere in this blog does Heinrich give us a clue as to his age, so it's impossible for the reader to make any kind of analysis about the author vs. the subject. He also asks in his blog, "why as a culture, are the majority of us not having children and planning our future?" I would think the answer to his question would have been answered long ago with all his "note taking." What happened, Heinrich? Did you lose your notes. Here's a bit of advice. When you take notes for a story, they should be kept for a good ten years or so.

He also states, "since the beginning of my social existence a large portion of my friends had been older than myself. I had always just assumed that I was mature for my age when in actuality I think most of the gay men I associated with had never mentally passed the age of 25."

Well young man, here's my official response to you, as a non-expert reader of your irrational blog on the matter: A) All your gay friends were much older because nobody your own age could ever take you seriously. B) Older men allowed you into their circle because you had no brains, but you did offer a pretty face to look at. I call this, The Barbie Syndrome (TBS). C) A lot of gay men whom I've actually talked to, have said they have no interest in having children of their own. If you've ever taken the time to read any official studies, you would probably notice that gay men can attribute their wealth/success on the fact that they have no kids. Some gay men are happy with the fact that they have nephews and nieces to spoil. In fact, I know for a fact that I DO NOT want children of my own, and came up with that conclusion many years back.

And finally, Heinrich, I end on this note: Try talking to older men when you go out, and maybe REALLY take notes so that when you decide to respond to my semi-well thought out response to your piece-of-crap blog, you can have some kind of testimonials to back up your shit. Instead of going around telling older gay men to grow up, maybe you should pick up a book, or read a publication every now and then. You might learn some ACTUAL facts.

Jotos will knock your pants off!

If you missed “Jotos” before, now’s your chance to catch it in it’s final run this weekend at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center just north of Downtown.

Jotos del Barrio is a collection of poems, monologues, and vignettes about young male Latinos coming to terms with being gay or transgendered in a society that cannot fully accept the lifestyle.

It was written by Jesus Alonzo. Jotos began as a paper Alonzo wrote in 1995 while taking a media studies course at Carleton College.The paper was primarily a response to his professor who taught the class, which explored queer iconography in the United States, yet entirely omitted the Chicano factor.

The paper had it’s first reading in front of an audience in 1995 at EPJC, and was then adapted for the stage with it’s first production at Jump-Start Performance Company in San Antonio in 2002 with great success.

In fact, I remember hearing about the show, which at the time starred Erica Salazar (or Andrews as most of us knew her). For those of you who are not Latino, the term “joto” is a term used for homosexual. It can almost be compared to the word “faggot.” I’m sure you can see my hesitance in seeing it the first time around. The title alone seemed to have somewhat of a negative connotation, but it isn’t the case at all.
br> I had the pleasure of seeing the show last weekend at the EPJC, and Alonzo explained it in a way I cannot even begin to do it justice. His explanation prior to the show, the performance itself, the stunning cast….it blew me away. It was powerful and moving.

Many of us who are Latino and grew up in the 70s, 80s, and even 90s can relate most. Those were different times when it came to the topic of homosexuality. I can see how this relates to a lot of people I knew growing up (even myself), but I honestly think the performance may have had a much harder impact its first time around. Not to say Jotos is any less moving now, but although there is still much intolerance, the gay movement (whether in the Latino community or not), has come further than it ever in the last decade.

If you haven’t had a chance to see it, I highly recommend it during its final run this weekend at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. It’s playing write now as I’m finishing this blog, but you can catch it again tomorrow Saturday June 21, and Sunday June 22. Sundays show will include a fabulous drag brunch. You definitely don’t want to miss that!

Jotos del Barrio’s current cast includes Maximo Anguiano, Lynn Copeland, Manuel Barraza, Toni Sauceda, Jaime Gonzalez, and Kenneth Miles Ellington Lopez. I have to give those guys a shout-out! They were awesome.

For more information, check out the EPJC website, www.esperanzacenter.org, or call (210) 228-0201. EPJC is located at 922 San Pedro Avenue, across from VIA headquarters.

Gay youth today

As I sit and wonder why I often feel for today's gay youth, I realize that it takes me back to when I was that age, and I recall how difficult it was not having someone to talk to about the things I was feeling at that time in my life.

We've all been that age, but let's face it, we haven't all been gay. Being a teen, and having someone to talk to about gay issues is really difficult. Young girls have their mothers or even other girlfriends to share with, while young boys often turn to their dads or brothers. But if you're a gay teen, it's harder to find someone to identify with you and your feelings.

I'm not going to lie. I was just like any other young boy. I was a horny little bastard. But while my male friends were all talking about the girls they wanted to screw and my girlfriends were asking me if I thought certain guys were interested in them, it just didn't seem right for me to inquire as to whether or not I should be drooling over the bear I saw working at the mall (not that I knew what that was back then, but just to give you some clue).

What a lot of my friends now don't realize is that I wasn't always as loud and out as I am today. I was a pretty quiet teen, very relaxed, and very chill. While I was never attracted to anyone I went to school with (that would have been awkward), I did often see guys at the store, or the mall, or the movie theater that I conisdered attractive. It seems to me young gays are coming out so much sooner than back when I was a teen. I'm still not sure if this is a good thing or not.

Sometimes I look at the pros and cons of this. PRO: Being comfortable in your own skin shows a sense of individuality and self-strength. CON: Many kids coming out at such a young age are showing they can't handle this type of pressure, hence the "It Gets Better" campaign.

Personally, I'm glad I waited until I was a young adult and post high school to come out. I did it on my own terms, and I did it when I knew I was ready. I only wish I could get the word out to more young gay teens about how life will get better for them, and there's not need to rush out of the closet, until they feel a sense of comfort, and find someone they can trust to do so.

Get tangled up in WEBB Party this weekend

Fiesta San Antonio kicks into full force this weekend, and nothing screams Fiesta louder than a bunch of queens getting free shots. All kidding aside though, the WEBBB party has become among one of the must-do events when celebrating this long city tradition.
This year's theme is "A Grand Menagerie," and event coordinators invite you to come out in your favorite animal print, or animal masks or face paint. WEBB Party is this Friday, April 11 from 7:30pm to midnight at the Lambermont Estate located on 950 East Grayson Street.
WEBB is the single largest fundraiser for the San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF), according to the organization's website. The event name came from an Ethiopian proverb stating, "When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion." The founders were so moved by this, they named the event after it. Sadly, the word "web" was misspelled on the invitation, but the extra letter "be" somehow managed to stick around.
Although on person I asked referred to the event as "pointless and overpriced," attendees should keep in mind that 100-percent of the proceeds go to client services for SAAF. One San Antonio man, Enrique Garza, described his past experience at WEBB a great deal of fun.
"It was heartfelt to see so many gather together to help an incredible organization," Garza said. "You have your queens, drag queens, gays, lesbians, and those who don't know what they are, all there for a good cause, and to get fucked up."
Advance general admission tickets will be available online or at SAAF until noon on Friday for $75. You can expect to pay $90 at the door. You shouldn't feel bad about what seems like a steep price. The money raised goes to a good cause, and for those of you party animals, there's a full open bar, cuisine tasting from some of the coolest places in town, and live guest DJ's.
This party is only for ages 21 and over, so all you kids best get to scootin. So if you're going to have an awesome time, remember to drink responsibly. For more information on WEBB, you can go online to www.webbparty.net. See you kids there!

If good help is hard to find, better help must be damn near impossible.

I had to start questioning customer service after hearing things like a friend of mine say he got some pizza from Pizza Hut, but when he called to notify them the pizza was cold, they merely suggested he warm it up. I've also had some recent issues with Taco Cabana when it came to asking for something that should have already been included with my order. There is one incident that totally takes the cake though. It's funny how I enjoy telling this story at a party or to a friend here and there when the issue of customer service arises. This particular story takes place back in 2008 with a young hopeful who decides he wants to go to graduate school. Yes, the young hopeful is me, in case you haven't guessed that part yet.

Perhaps I didn't have the right questions prepared, or perhaps I should have done some research ahead of time so that I'd be a little more prepared. Silly me, when I enter an institute of higher learning, I guess I just expect to be welcomed with open arms and have information willingly thrown at me; afterall, this is the place I may decide to give my money to in exchange for an education. So it's spring 2008, and I decided since I was in the area, I would go onto the campus of this institution and get some information on their graduate programs, particularly something as it related to mass communication, as that was what I had majored in as an undergrad, but at a completely different university.

I walked into the admissions office and asked to speak to someone. I was told to have a seat, and that someone would be with me shortly. I looked around the office and noticed there were not other students around at that time. Maybe it was finals, maybe it was just late in the day. I remember it being sometime close to 4:00pm. Finally, a young woman comes out and calls my name. I didn't see another student walk out, so I know she wasn't helping anyone face-to-face. She had her own office and a name tag, and although her hair was a hot mess, I figured I'd trust her.

Big mistake....HUGE!

She began by asking what she could do for me. I told her that after almost four years in the workforce, I was considering graduate school to hopefully open more doors for me. I went over what I studied as an undergraduate and gave her an idea of what I was looking for in a graduate program. She didn't have much to say, but she was quick to throw a couple of websites at me and push me out the door. I can't quite say what the rush was. Maybe she had a hair appointment (her hair looked like shit, remember?), Maybe she had to get ready for a party (I had the unpleasant experience of actually running into her at a party once, and even there she looked like she could have used some advice from a stylist). Maybe she was just tired and wanted to get the hell home. Who knows, and who cares, right? Wrong. I cared.

It just really struck me. For someone who was supposed to be there to help and guide students, she really sucked at her job. Why was she there? Why did this institute think she was even qualified enough to talk to students, because frankly, in my opinion, she wasn't. She wasn't even qualified to be seen in public with that hair. If your job makes you miserable, perhaps its time to go. I left my last job for that same reason: I was miserable, I was rude, I couldn't take it anymore. But unlike the bitch at that university, I knew it was time for me to go.

From what I understand, that rude, unhelpful, messy person is still employed at the university where I finally graduated in 2011. Many of you who know me, know what institute I'm referring to, and you probably know the story well. I'm not going to name names, but if you're THAT curious, contact me and I'll give you all the details, which are sure to include every profane word you can think of. I recently heard a similar story, second hand, but I'm almost sure it's the same person because I know for sure it's the same university. It sucks that if good help is so hard to find, better help would be damn near impossible to get.